Loom apparatus



June 9, 1942. wooD ETAL 2,285,787

LOOM APPARATUS Filed July 28, 1941 /i INYENTOR. I

y [4' BY 12m Patented June 9, 1942 L OM APPARATUS Ellsworth F. Wood,Somers, and Mitchell Gautreau, Somersville, Conn.

Application July 28, 1941, Serial No. 404,276 2 Claims. (01. 139-2 73)Our invention relates to improvements in weaving apparatus and it isdirected more particularly to improvements in feeler devices for use onlooms and the like. This application is a continuation in part of anapplication Ser. No. 345,760, filed by us July 16, 1940.

The principal objects of the invention are directed to the provision ofa feeler device for a loom which is adapted to contact the yarn on abobbin or a bobbin when empty and to operate when the bobbin is empty toclose an electric circuit controlling the operation of mechanism whichreplaces an empty bobbin in the shuttle with a'filled one.

The feeler device of the invention is positioned With a filled orpartially filled bobbin or in fact until the yarn on the bobbin issubstantially exhausted, the feeler device although contacted by theyarn in the bobbin is not actuated to operate the bobbin replacingmechanism,

The feeler device of the invention is characterized by its simplicity ofconstruction and its efficiency and sensitiveness in operation. Itfunctions as a circuit closing device and controls the operation of thebobbin feeding mechanism in such a way that empty bobbins in the shuttleor shuttles are replaced with filled ones without in any way interferingwith the operation of the loom although the lay swings back and forth athigh speed.

The device of the invention is characterized by a slide which isreciprocable in a bracket that is engaged by the yarn on a filled bobbinin such a way as to be moved inwardly against the action of spring meansand it has a spring pressed pilot reciprocable in the slide having anouter pointed end adaptedto impinge the yarn on a bobbin or to beengaged by an empty bobbin and moved thereby relative to the slide'forclosing an electric circuit.

The pilot moves in a straight line back and "forth relative to the slideand its forward pointed end may'protrude various distances beyond the"forward'end of the slide to accommodate yarn of "various sizes andcharacteristics.

The said forward end of the pilot ;is disposed centrally relative to theforward yarn engaging end of the slide therebyto insurethat the end ofthe slide engages the'yarn at a point over a point on the bobbin whichwould be engagedby thepilot except for the yarn. This obviatesthepossibility of the pilot-being-moved to switch closing position when infact-the bobbin is not empty.

The pilot has an outer relatively sharp or conically pointed end so asto be adapted to-impinge thelayers of yarn on a bobbin or pass betweenconvolutions thereof. If not so pointed'it is likely to be movedrelative to the slide which would move it to switch closing position anda pointed end provides a relatively sharp point so that its contact withthe empty bobbin is small thereby to insure accuracy in operation andnot cut or injure yarn on a bobbin as would be the case were the end ofthe pilot of considerable dimension.

Various novel features and advantages of the invention will behereinafter more fully referred to in connection with the accompanyingdescription of the present preferred form thereof taken in connectionwith the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the feeler device of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan View of the same; and

Fig. '3 is a side elevational-view of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, wherein similar referencefigures refer to like parts, and referring more particularly to thepreferred form of our invention which-has been selected for illustrativepurposes, the invention will be described.

A bracket or support is shown at 2 which is grooved at 4 for a slide 6that is reciprocable back and forth therein.

The slide 6 is preferably in the form of a T having a transverse member8 at its rear or inner end. An end part Ill of the support is slotted atI2 and a springanchor I4 onthe bottom of the slide extends through saidslot.

A second spring anchor I6 is secured to the bottomof the bracket 2 and atension spring IB has its opposite ends secured to the said anchors. Thespring urges the slide outwardly or to the right relative to thebracket. The slide is limited in its movement outwardly or to the rightby the transverse member 8 abutting the left hand or inner end of thebracket.

A cap20 is provided on the bracket over the slide groove and-is securedin place'to overlie the slide by screws 22. A part 24 on the cap isslotted at 28 to facilitate securing of the device to a loom, Any otherdesired form of part 24 and cap may be employed in order to secure thedevice to looms of various types.

The slide 6 is hollow or is bored at 30 and a ;pilot 32 eXtends entirelytherethrough and is :slidable therein. A spring 34 around the pilot .ina recess 36 of the slide is disposed between an end of the recesses anda pin 31 on the pilot to urge the said pilot outwardly or to the rightrelative to the slide. A pair of nuts 38 on the inner threaded end ofthe pilot limit outward movements of the pilot relative to the slide.These nuts are arranged so that as the pilot is moved outwardly byspring 34 its forward pointed end 40 may be made to project differentdistances beyond the end I of the slide 6 thereby to accommodate yarnsof different types.

The outer end of the pilot is conical or pointed, the material of whichthe pilot is made being cylindrical so that the end is relatively sharp.This is desirable for the reason it is desired that the end of the pilotimpinge yarn on the bobbin or pass between the yarn windings. Were thepilot end of considerable area as distinguished from a point the pilotis likely to be moved relative to the slide by the yarn.

An insulator 44 and a yieldable contact 45 thereon are secured to thetransverse part 8 of the slide 6 by any suitable means such as a screw48 and a screw and nuts and 52 of the contact is for receiving a wire ofa circuit. A screw 54 on the member 8 is for another wire of a circuit.

The device may be secured to a loom by means of the securing part 24 insuch a position that the forward or outer end of the slide 6 ispositioned so that the swinging lay moves a bobbin in a shuttle towardsand away from the end of the slide 6. The parts 46 and 54 are connectedin a circuit including the bobbin changing operating mechanism which aswell known -tle so that the slide is depressed or moved inwardly or tothe left carrying with it the pilot. The sharp outer or forward end ofthe pilot impinges the yarn on the bobbin.

This movement of the slide is against the ac- "tion of spring l8 so thatthe slide moves out 'Wardly when the lay moves away from the deviceagain.

Because the pilot has a sharp pointed end it impinges the yarn on thebobbin or passes between the windings thereof and moves with the sliderather than relative thereto as would be the case were the end of thepilot of considerable area so that it was acted upon by the yarn.

Should the bobbin be empty the bobbin engages the sharp point 40 of thepilot to move the pilot inwardly or rearwardly relative to the slidecausing the inner end of the said pilot to engage contact 46 and closeth circuit.

The pilot and in fact the feeler device being in one side of a circuitand the contact in the other, the engagement of the pilot directly withthe contact provides a switch action to close the circuit therebycausing the bobbin changing In each alternate movement of the lay in onedirection it carries the shuttle holding the bobbin towards the deviceso that the slide is moved inwardly by yarn on the bobbin or the pilotis moved inwardly relative to the slide by a bobbin when empty.

The movement of the pilot relative to the bobbin depends on the distancethe pilot end protrudes beyond the slide and the distance may be made toaccommodate yarn of different types or sizes.

The pilot is movable back and forth in a straight line and th inner endthereof directly engages the contact and co-operates therewith for theswitch action. This is very important for the reason the switch isclosed instantaneously-so that the empty bobbin is thrown out andreplaced by a filled one all within a Very short space of time, that isas the lay arrives at the end of its stroke and quickly moves awaytherefrom in an opposite direction.

The pointed end of the pilot 40 is centrally disposed relative to theend 1 of the slide. It is important that the end of the slide engagingthe yarn on a bobbin overlie the point on the bobbin that would beengaged by the pilot except for the yarn. Otherwise clue to improperwinding of the yarn on the bobbin and other causes the end of the slidemay engage yarn on a bobbin while at the same time the pilot may engagea bare part of the bobbin at a point spaced therefrom causing a partlyexhausted bobbin to be replaced, thereby wasting yarn.

The area of the yarn engaging end of the slide is of relatively smallarea so that with the pilot end disposed centrally thereof there is nodanger of the slide end engaging yarn while the pilot engages a barebobbin at some distance therefrom. Either the slide end is engaged byyarn or the pilot end is engaged by the bare bobbin.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom .the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely asbeing illustrative and not as .being restrictive, the scope of theinvention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by theforegoing description, and all modifications and variations as fallwithin the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appendedclaims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. A feeler device comprising in combination. a support having a slideguideway, a slide reciprocable in the guideway having an outer endprovided with an end surface adapted to be engaged by yarn on a bobbinwhereby the slide may be moved inwardly of the support thereby,

, a transverse member on the inner end of the slide engageable with apart of the support to limit outward movements of the slide relative tothe support, said slide and transverse member provided with longitudinalbores, a pilot slidable in said bores having an outer pointed end forproecting beyond the end surface of the slide, means on the inner end ofsaid pilot engageable with the transverse member to limit outwardmovements of the pilot relative to the slide, a contact insulated fromand fixed to the slide having a part disposed at the rear .of the pilotto be engaged thereby, means to urge the pilot outwardly of the slide,separate means to urge the slide outwardly of the support, said meansincluding a compression spring around said pilot disposed in a recessprovided in said slide with opposite ends between an end of the recessand a part provided on said pilot, and said separate means including atension spring having opposite ends secured to a part provided on saidsupport and a part provided on said slide that operates in a slotprovided on the support.

2. A feeler device comprising in combination, a support having aguideway, a slide reciprocable in said guideway having an open sidedrecess intermediate its ends and bores leading therefrom throughopposite ends, means urging said slide outwardly of .the support, atransverse member on the inner end of the slide engageable with thesupport to limit outward movements of the slide relative to the support,a pilot reciprocable in the bores of the slide and in the transversemember, means on the inner end of the pilot engageable with thetransverse member to limit outward movements of the pilot relative tothe slide, a contact fixed to and carried by the transverse member atthe rear of the pilot to be engaged thereby as it moves inwardly of theslide, a com-

